Austin Leads Top 10 Cities for Millennials

While the baby boomer generation dreamed of owning suburban homes behind white picket fences, a new study shows millennials are choosing to live in cities as people in their great-grandparents’ generation once did—and Austin, TX, is their favorite.

According to a recent Nielsen survey, 62 percent of millennials polled said they preferred to live in urban mixed-use environments. They also prefer to rent rather than own. Two-thirds of millennials surveyed are renters, and many share residences with family members or roommates.

“For the first time since the 1920s, growth in U.S. cities outpaces growth outside of them,” according to Nielsen.

When it comes to pinpointing their perfect rental, millennials who are considering moving to a city may do best in socially conscious areas that foster creativity. Many of these areas already have a high millennial population, according to Nielsen’s top 10 markets for millennials:

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Neighborhood vibe also plays a big part in where millennials choose to live. For Sky Allred, a service industry employee who recently relocated from a suburb to a rental in Fort Worth, TX, what sold him on the area wasn’t the rental rates or the types of housing, but the sense of community he feels.

“We’re very close-knit here,” Allred said. “Everyone hangs out and supports each other.”

Convenience is still a factor for millennials, as long as it meshes well with a creative environment. “There is a Wal-Mart grocery store here and some fast food chains,” Allred said, but what really impressed him was the thriving small business scene. “The small stuff is what people tend to support here.”

And he’s never far from creative activities, something millennials strongly prefer. Allred said “an active music scene, art and cultural activities and more opportunities to socialize” matched his personality.

Walkability is also important. In 2011, 66 percent of millennials owned a car, according to the Nielsen study. Millennials are an environmentally conscious generation and even many of those who own a car prefer to walk whenever possible. Allred, who doesn’t own a car, said living in an urban setting is better than being in a suburban environment because he can walk to anything, including work.